Court & Ann Take On Denver
An Adventure
Overview
- From Pittsburgh, PA to Denver, CO
- 1,453 miles
- 73 days total: 30 days to St. Louis; 43 days to Denver
- Leave Pittsburgh on April 1st
- Arrive at St. Louis on May 1st
- Arrive at Denver on June 14th
Map of Our Route:
April 1st
Courtney and I are starting our journey to Denver. We will be passing through St. Louis. We have packed for the worst, and we are ready to take on whatever lies ahead of us. Just in case we stumble upon a small rock and a wagon wheel breaks, we have everything needed to repair it and save us from our troubles. We have also packed a bunch of food to eat, but we are bringing guns and knives to hunt for meat in the way. We have packed pans and other cooking supplies to cook the meat. We are bring seeds to plant once we get there. We plan to sell crops for money. It is going to be a very long and hard journey, and neither Courtney or I know if we are prepared to spend this much time together, but I will keep you updated. Our horses are excited and ready for the journey. Nothing can stop us now!
Love,
Annie
May 1st
We arrived in St. Louis, and we have just settled down for the night. We are getting closer to Denver each day, and we are getting more anxious every hour that passes by. So far, all we have done is eat the food we brought along. We haven't had to hunt for any more meat yet, but if Courtney doesn't stop eating so much, we are going to have to start!
Love,
Annie
P.S. Courtney and I aren't tired of each other yet.
May 4th
We are a little over halfway through our journey to Denver, and I am getting a little annoyed with Courtney. Besides that, we are having a lot of fun during the day playing I-Spy while driving. Since we are almost there, we have started to revist our plans on how we are going to survive when we get there. We have packed so many things to get us through the winter, but we will not get there in time to plant our crops. We will have to deoend on hunting and fishing. We are hunting when we can, though, for food on the way there. Courtney and I are having a little friendly competition on who can get the most game. I am winning. I have shot 15 deer, but the weight of the meat is slowing us down, so we are going to wait before we gather more meat. I am still sewing. Courtney drives the wagon, so I have to find something to do. My fingers are bleeding because I am sewing so much, so I'm sorry about the blood stains. I have made 4 coats and 3 quilts.
Love,
Annie
June 14th
Today is my birthday. We have just arrived in Denver, and we are both ecstatic and starving. We have found a house to purchase with the money we brought along. We won't be able to plant our crops until after the winter is over, but there is a river right by our new house, so we will be able to go fishing! Winter is fast approaching, and we need to prepare for it ASAP. Thank God I made all those blankets and quilts with the fabric we brought from home on the way here! We met some Native Americans right after we left St. Louis, and they told us they wanted come to Denver with us and build furniture for our new house. Court and I are so greatful for our new friends, and we plan on learning many more useful skills from them.
Love,
Annie
September 20th
We have been in Denver for a while now, and it is not as cold as I expected. As we predicted, we were not able to plant our crops before the first freeze. All we have been eating is fish from the river and the few beans we have left from our trip. Our Native American friends left to go hunt. They told us they'd make our furniture when they get back and that they needed our guns for hunting. It has been 15 days since they left, and they still aren't back. Courtney doesn't think they are coming back, so she left four days ago to get some more fish at the river. I have faith in the Indians. They pinky swore they'd make us furniture. Now that I think about it, Courtney still hasn't come back from her fishing trip, and I really don't think it takes that long to catch a few fish. Plus, she didn't take enough supplies to survive out there for four days all by herself. We weren't on the best terms when she left because the Native Americans not returning stressed us both out. Hoping for the best.
Love,
Annie
September 21st
I went on what I thought was a harmless walk by the river to clear my head and look for Courtney. I found her alright. I found her dead body floating in the river. She didn't catch any fish.
R.I.P. Courtney
New Home
Our new house is small and made of wood. We purchased it with the money we brought with us, all of our life savings. We have yet to get any furniture, so we are sleeping in all the blankets Annie made on the floor. At least we have wood for fires. There are tons of trees around for extra firewood to stay warm. The winters don't get too cold here, an average day around 45 degrees. We won't be able to start growing crops until winter is over, but we have a few extra beans from the trip. We can also hunt and fish for meat. We have some flour left over, too. There is a river right by our new house, so we have water.
Supplies
- Clothes: pants, shirts, coats, shoes, hats
- Fabric, needles, thread
- Crop seeds
- Guns and ammunition
- Knives
- Blankets
- Water cantines
- Salted meat
- Jerky
- a lot of dry beans
- Spices
- Flour
- Shovels
- Buckets
- Wood
- Cooking supplies: pans, eating utensils
- Matches
- Fishing gear: poles, bait
- All of our money